


Bright Lights, Flying City

by AthenasAspis (agentandromeda)



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: First Meeting, Gen, Vault Hunter, Vault Hunter Fiona, chaos lesbian Fiona
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 16:07:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16411646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis
Summary: Fiona has some business to take care of in Sanctuary on behalf of Helios. Hopefully the Firehawk will be easy to convince.For the Hub of Heroism gift exchange!





	Bright Lights, Flying City

**Author's Note:**

> This one's a part of a Discord gift exchange, but hopefully y'all can enjoy it!

Sanctuary was quite the city. 

It was about the size of Hollow Point, but with an unfamiliar sense of order. Sunlight streamed into every alleyway. This was not a city in which one feared being mugged. Even the storefronts were brighter and kept their doors open. Fiona wished she could take some time to sightsee, but she had a schedule to keep. It wouldn’t do to keep important contacts waiting.

As far as bars went, Moxxi’s was better than expected. The lights were a little tacky, and Fiona felt a little wary around the clientele, but August’s establishment made these sins feel like chipped nail polish. 

The drinks were amazing. Moxxi sure knew how to bartend, and Fiona had to pace herself on the cocktails lest she forget not to stare at the barmaid’s bust. Play it cool, Fiona, she told herself. Act like you don’t have a poster of her in your home.

It was 13:45, and Fiona’s contact was fifteen minutes late. Not that she was complaining; Moxxi’s was a nice place to hang out, especially in the back next to the jukebox where she could watch people come and go while sipping her exquisite mixed drink.

Finally, the Firehawk appeared at the bar, waving off Moxxi’s alcoholic offers and scanning the booths for a signature hat. Fiona whistled and waved her over. Lilith walked over like she had known Fiona was there all along. Perhaps she had; Lilith’s uncanny grip over the fabric of reality was matched only by her uncanny grip over Sanctuary’s goings-on. 

“You made quite an impression on my men, tiger,” Lilith said as she sat down. “I was a bit nervous you’d have taken my wallet and tried to shoot me by now.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Fiona drawled. “Shouldn’t you be early? You called this meeting.”

Lilith smirked. She smelled like cigarette smoke and metal. 

“So,” she asked, “how does a low-level Pandoran conwoman end up opening one of the most elusive Vaults in the universe?”

“You sound like Rhys,” Fiona snorted. “I’ll have you know my years of grifting prepared me quite well for this life. After all, it was me who delivered the final killing blow against the Traveler.”

Lilith put her elbows on the table and leaned in, intrigued.

“Really. You look like a rakk could knock you over with a running start.”

“Speak for yourself, beanpole. How’s your modeling for Fat Gun & Skinny Girl Magazine going?” 

Lilith raised an eyebrow, but didn’t incinerate Fiona on the spot. Teasing Pandora’s most feared bounty hunter—no, most feared woman—no, most feared person—was probably unwise, but damn, it was fun.

“Anyway,” Fiona gave an elaborate flourish of the hand, “it’s a very long story. Rhys and I plan to publish it in novel form someday, you can read it then. After paying the listed price, of course. I’d like to move on to item two on the agenda.”

“There’s an agenda?”

“Yeah, Vau—The Sun King made me a checklist.” Fiona digitized it and flipped through the pages attached to the clipboard. “It’s extremely comprehensive, with attached supplementary materials.” She was already slipping into her salesperson voice. “So, can you please get your Crimson Lance to stop attacking us? It’s getting annoying.”

“Your people are Hyperion,” Lilith answered, as though that was a complete justification. “Coming to Pandora was a death sentence for them.”

“If there’s any death sentence on them,” Fiona replied, “you issued it. So call off your dogs, or we’re gonna have a problem.”

“Oh?” Lilith said, low and dangerous. Her tattoos began to glow faintly. Showoff. 

Fiona sighed.

“Look,” she said, “between you and me, most of the Children of Helios are dicks. But we think they can be given a second chance. Also, some of them are my,“ she shuddered, “friends. If you just give Helios a chance, I think we can change whatever weird cult of personality bullshit they’ve got brainwashed into their cybernetically enhanced brains.”

Of course, when Fiona said “we,” she meant Vaughn, Yvette, and Rhys. The only reason Fiona was the one chosen to talk to Sanctuary leadership was her powerful and undisputed talent for bullshitting. 

Lilith waved at Moxxi and called out for another round of drinks for their table. 

“Did you at least kill some Hyperions while Helios was still in the sky?”

“I shot Jack’s diamond pony,” Fiona offered. “Does that count?”

Lilith’s eyes widened, and she held up her hand for a high five. Fiona obliged.

“Right on, dude. Anything to wipe out the last memories of that douche.”

Fiona smiled, but inwardly her confident swagger dimmed a little. If Lilith found out the true circumstances of Jack’s last echo…well, Rhys wasn’t long for this world, and as entertaining as “Rhys vs. Vault Hunter 10 hour smackdown video” would be, Fiona had become begrudgingly fond of the dork.

Moxxi brought their drinks. Fiona’s napkin had an ECHO frequency written on it. She quickly stuffed the napkin in her pocket, trying to hide her blush from the woman across the table.

“I guess you’re a real Vault Hunter now,” Lilith continued. “I mean, you’ve technically opened more Vaults than I have. We’re going to need all the Vault Hunters we can get.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Fiona demanded. 

Lilith shrugged.

“Fuck if I know. Some creepy alien told me that. Apparently the Eridians are our friends now.”

“No kidding,” Fiona scoffed. “They left us with a bunch of big-ass, planet-destroying monsters and some weird statues that have tried to kill us, and now you guys are buddies?”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Lilith exhaled in frustration. “I don’t think they’re our enemies, or our friends. Our objectives are operating on totally different planes. I just get the feeling that, even if momentarily, our goals are aligning in this war.”

“What goals are those?”

“Having an intact world left to live in.”

Fiona shrugged. “Fair enough.”

Moxxi came back with some fries. On the house. 

“I heard you trained with Athena,” Lilith said. At least she had the decency to sound contrite.

“I heard you tried to kill Athena,” Fiona responded, putting on her best disapproving big sister stare. She was quite proficient in its use. Even Lilith wilted a little.

“Yeah, we worked that out. Hey, you’re going places. I heard Mordecai and Brick talk about you; takes quite a bit of skill to be the kind of nuisance to them that you were.”

“Thanks,” Fiona said sarcastically. “Glad to know I was a nuisance.” 

Lilith laughed. 

All in all, the meeting went far better than Fiona had hoped. She’d left with someone very powerful in her corner. Lilith had given Fiona her ECHO frequency and offered to show her some more of the ropes of Vault Hunting. Fiona had made a friend.

Maybe more than a friend, Fiona thought, thinking back on Lilith’s bashful smile and flashing eyes as she handed over the folded paper with the number scribbled on it. 

It had been a while since she’d had to choose between two numbers, and this wasn’t even for a job. 

Sanctuary was quite the city.


End file.
